Rhea M. Steele, FASAE, CAE, ODCP

School Nutrition Association, Chief of Staff and VP of Governance & Strategy

Rhea’s over 15 years of experience in the non-profit, education, museum, and association fields have resulted in deep expertise in governance, strategic planning, evaluation, policy development, high-performance teams, culture change, facilitation, and operational excellence. She finds the nexus between strategy and operations – helping organizations create the vision they need for tomorrow while implementing the steps that will get them there today. She brings a natural inclination to help staff connect their work with the organizational mission and impact.

Rhea is Vice Chair of the Individual Awards Committee and serves on the CAE Commission. She has previously served on the Technology Section Council, as Chair of the National Capital Advisory Council, and as a content leader for the CAE Kickoff course hosted by ASAE She is a co-founder and former Treasurer of the Association Women Technology Champions which provides networking and learning opportunities for women in the DC area. In 2020, she received the prestigious Professional Performance Award from ASAE. The Association Forum and USAE named her a Forty Under 40 award winner in 2016, she was honored in 2017 as Association TRENDS Young and Aspiring Association Professional, and in 2019 was honored by DCA Live as an Association Innovator.

Rhea received her B.A. and M.S. from the University of Colorado – Boulder (CU). After working at CU for the Judicial Affairs and Writing Departments and the University Museum, she moved to the east coast for museum-related internships and became the Director of IT and Operations for the Council of Chief State School Officers. This was followed by Chief Operating Officer roles at the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation and DECA, Inc. where she oversaw human resources, finance, information technology, governance, and facilities. She has presented and written about culture change, process improvement, strategic visioning, ethics, innovation, and the future of work.